Dermot Kennedy reached out to Paul Mescal to ensure the 'Normal People' star was ''in a good place''.

Paul, 24, shot to fame overnight earlier this year thanks to his portrayal of Connell Waldron in the TV adaptation of Sally Rooney's bestselling book and singer/songwriter Dermot, 28, revealed the pair became friends after he checked in to make sure Paul was coping with his newfound fame.

Speaking to the Sunday World, Dermot explained: ''I reached out a little while ago. His career was moving at such a mental rate, and I literally reached out as another fellow Irish creative. I wanted to say 'hi' and I hoped he was enjoying the madness. I basically just hoped that he was in a good place with it, so that was it.''

Now the pair have teamed up for Kennedy's upcoming one-off, pay-per-view show 'Some Summer Night' and Dermot admitted Paul was the only actor he considered for the project.

He explained: ''A couple of weeks ago, when we were planning this gig, we started talking about the fact that we weren't limited creatively at all. We started talking about different narratives we could create, and then we started talking about actors, and he was the only person I wanted to ask.

''I don't want to get into it too much, but I am very conscious of the fact that he can sing very well. It's still quite fresh, so we are working on it every day. There's a set list and a narrative with my role and his role... it's all taking shape.

''I've never written for somebody else before. So what would work quite well for me won't necessarily work for him because he's such a vulnerable actor, and it's so human the way he does things.''